Trafford Council has approved plans to relocate the famous set of TV soap Coronation Street to a site at Trafford Wharf in Greater Manchester, subject to a section 106 agreement.
The consent follows ITV Granada’s recent decision to relocate from its Quay Street HQ in central Manchester, which it has occupied since the 1950s, to join the BBC at the Peel Group’s MediaCityUK at Salford Quays.
It will move into 70,000 sq ft of offices within the main body of the scheme, which will also house the new Coronation Street set. The new offices will be subject to a long-term lease.
ITV is set to build a bespoke production and studio centre for Coronation Street on a 7.7 acre site on the opposite side of the Manchester Ship Canal from the main MediaCityUK complex and accessed by a new bridge.
Plans also include a new, external film set, larger than the show’s current outdoor set, that will replicate the original appearance of the street and allow other uses.
Work on site is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2011.
Matt Colledge, leader of Trafford council, said: “Being home to the most iconic street in Britain, and housing a significant part of the MediaCityUK scheme in Trafford, will enhance the existing area around the Imperial War Museum North and bring significant benefits into Trafford.”
daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com
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